China’s overseas investments in the wind and solar industries: trends and drivers

Shifting to a low carbon economy will require current emitting countries and projected future emitters to rapidly scale up their investments in renewable energy. In recent years, major carbon economies like China, India and Brazil have been catching up with leading developed country investors in Europe and the United States. By some estimates, China is already the leading global investor in renewable energy, particularly solar and wind. If China achieves its goal of sourcing 15 per cent of its energy mix from renewables 2020 and 35-40 percent by 2050, renewable energy will become closer to a mainstream energy resource within the country. Cost reduction incurred in this process would benefit not only China, but also the rest of the world.